Category: News

We would like to tell you about some important changes taking place here at the New Zealand Game Developers Association (NZGDA). From 1st June 2022 we will move to a paid membership structure. As a Not-For-Profit advocacy organisation, we have made it our mission to deliver above and beyond what would be expected; from our […]

via Surprise Launch in Indie World Showcase! Mini Motorways, the minimalist strategy traffic management sim with over four million players from developer Dinosaur Polo Club, revs its engine to reveal the highly-anticipated Nintendo Switch system launch during today’s Indie World Showcase. The “Night Lights” update will simultaneously land on Apple Arcade and Steam, featuring more […]

Even for members of the general public who may be unfamiliar with the name Niantic, you can guarantee they will know their technology very, very well… From the Keyhole product in 2001 that allowed users to zoom into interactive 3D maps of the planet. Conceived as a video game that would let people from across […]

Pōneke-based game developers Dinosaur Polo Club have won the Audience Award at the Independent Games Festival with their critically acclaimed game Mini Motorways.

Latest studio investments from Alt Venture’s Kiwi gaming fund include: Deep Field Games Is a new studio founded by Geoff “Zag” Keene – creator of Unfortunate Spacemen and godfather of the social-deception genre – who has assembled a crack team of industry veterans from around the world focused on co-op games with mood, atmosphere, and […]

This week CODE – New Zealand’s Centre of Digital Excellence – announced a $250,000 Scale-Up grant has been awarded to Mad Carnival Entertainment, a new Dunedin-based satellite studio from the founders of Auckland’s Method and M Theory. Although still largely under wraps given market sensitivity, Director and Co-Founder Samantha Ramlu has hinted at their first […]

The New Zealand Game Developers Conference 2022 will be held on 17 – 19 August 2022 at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington. Tickets will go sale in June.   Currently we are accepting speaker and panel applications via this form. Applications close 17th April 11:59pm. With news of border restrictions easing, we wanted […]

Entry forms for the New Zealand Game Developers Association startup programme for interactive games businesses, the Kiwi Game Starter, are now open! Entrants should prepare their playable prototypes and business/marketing plans for submission via the submission form. The deadline for submissions is Monday 2 May 2022 at 5pm. Thanks to our kind sponsor University of […]

New Zealand-based video-game developer Space Rock Games raises $650,000 from venture capital investors Hillfarrance and the New Zealand Growth Capital Partners to develop their debut game, Criminals Within. With this round closed, the company has become one of the first venture-backed gaming studios in the country.   Space Rock Games was originally founded by five […]

The Digital Economy and Communications Minister David Clark has released the digital technologies sector draft Industry Transformation Plan (ITP*) for consultation. It includes specific proposals for the Government to support Aotearoa New Zealand’s interactive media and game development sector, and is seeking your feedback. *An ITP is a sector-based development plan, jointly produced between industry, […]

PikPok expands globally via acquisition to scale studio bandwidth and portfolio Leading games publisher PikPok® today announced the acquisition of Wizard Fun Factory, an independent video game development studio based in Medellín, Colombia. Known for crafting high-quality immersive experiences across mobile, web, and VR/AR, Wizard has collaborated in recent years with PikPok on updates and […]

The Miramar Creative Centre Grant is a $2,200 micro-grant aimed at supporting entry-level & emerging interactive projects in New Zealand. Entries for the Miramar Creative Centre’s Grant for emerging interactive kiwi projects are now open. The deadline for applications for the current cycle is the 3rd of April 2022. Thanks to the kind sponsorship of […]

The University of Canterbury (UC) continues to respond to the needs of the digital screen industries with sponsorship of the NZGDA Kiwi Game Starter 2022, a business start-up competition supporting the best of Aotearoa New Zealand’s up-and-coming game development talent.   The news comes hot on the heels of the announcement of the University’s Digital Screen […]

Rainbite’s “Trigger Witch” will become the first New Zealand-made game to run natively on the PS5 platform when it is released there later this month (21 January 2022). The PS5 version will be a free upgrade for PS4 owners, while physical copies for the PS5 will ship later in January. This makes it the first […]

The New Zealand Game Developers Association (NZGDA) has collaborated with Wellington in a multi-year partnership to increase investment and grow the talent pool in the creative digital content sector. The NZGDA will expand the remit of its annual conference to incorporate the film, screen and interactive media sectors alongside its traditional gaming content. A Collaborative […]